SARASOTA, FL – The eighth graders at the Hershorin Schiff Community Day School may only have had three full days during their year-end trip to Washington, D.C. but they definitely made the most of every minute. The students criss-crossed our nation’s capital, taking in the sights and enjoying some of the country’s finest museums; they even got to meet and interview a Supreme Court Justice.
The students traveled to D.C. in mid-May. They earned the money for the trip over the course of the year by selling pizza and salad in place of offerings available through the school’s lunch service. The eighth graders were responsible for the entire process, from ordering to serving. They also participated in other fundraising activities, such as assisting the seventh grade with its annual car wash, selling Chanukkah-Grams and hosting movie nights.
“Working hard all year finally paid off,” said Bianca Gruber. “We’re having a great time here and learning a lot.”
Activities and destinations enjoyed by the students included a moonlight tour of the monuments on the evening they arrived, IMAX and exhibits at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, a tour of the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing, National Museum of the American Indian and National Museum of African American History and Culture, the National Zoo, U.S. Capitol Tour, and a performance of Shear Madness at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
But the highlight of the trip had to be the tour of the Supreme Court and meeting and interviewing Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. A student’s family member was able to secure special access for the group.
“I was star struck the whole time,” admitted student Madelyn Halperin. “Ruth Bader Ginsburg is my favorite Supreme Court Justice – she is just really inspiring.”
Community Day School features a vibrant, project-based curriculum, which is highly individualized and accelerated. The school believes that some of the best learning takes place beyond the school walls.
“There is no better way for children to learn than to be fully immersed in the subject matter,” said Aaron Goldberg, Community Day School’s middle school team leader and language arts teacher. “They can learn all about civics and American history in the classroom but, this week, they’ve had the chance to learn those topics in the halls where history was and is made, and at the finest museums in the country. And to meet a public figure of Associate Justice Ginsburg’s stature is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
For more about Community Day School, go to CommunityDay.org or call (941) 552-2770.
About Hershorin Schiff Community Day School
The mission of the Hershorin Schiff Community Day School, which serves students in preschool through eighth grade, is to impact the world by creating a community where children of all faiths demonstrate integrity, academic excellence, and a desire to improve the world. Community Day offers a rigorous, project-based academic program in a diverse and vibrant learning environment rooted in the Jewish values of honesty, integrity, mutual trust and respect. For more information, visit the website at communityday.org or call (941) 552-2770.